Tag: Microbiology

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An Alternative to Antibiotics?

Scientists offer an alternative method to fight bacteria in an effort to combat antibiotic resistance. They generated liposomes, or very small particles that look much like cell membranes. Because of this similarity, liposomes, instead of the host cells, can draw in bacterial toxins and allow the resulting non-toxic bacteria to be defeated by the body’s natural immune defense. However, this is just the beginning- for … Continue reading An Alternative to Antibiotics?

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Common artificially-sweetened foods. Photograph by Graham Turner, The Guardian.
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Enough Diet Soda? Respect the Microbiota…

Intestinal microbes impact weight gain, dictate food allergies, and activate neural pathways that regulate stress and depression. They eat what we eat, whether it is a cheeseburger, a kale salad, or in today’s world, an extra large diet soda. A recent study published in Nature presents compelling data to suggest that artificial sweeteners might disrupt microbes in the gut and the body’s ability to control blood sugar, making consumers more prone to metabolic disorders. Continue reading Enough Diet Soda? Respect the Microbiota…

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Space Faring Plankton: Fact or Fiction?

From Scientists find traces of sea plankton on ISS surface A recent article published by the Russian News Agency ITAR-TASS has made the unlikely claim that plankton, microscopic organisms typically found in the earth’s oceans, have been found on the surface of the International Space Station. These space faring plankton wouldn’t be the first microorganisms to survive (and even thrive) in space. However, it is … Continue reading Space Faring Plankton: Fact or Fiction?

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CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

Have you heard? A revolution has seized the scientific community. Within only a few years, research labs worldwide have adopted a new technology that facilitates making specific changes in the DNA of humans, other animals, and plants. Compared to previous techniques for modifying DNA, this new approach is much faster and easier. This technology is referred to as “CRISPR,” and it has changed not only … Continue reading CRISPR: A game-changing genetic engineering technique

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In the Loop with Poop
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In the Loop with Poop: Intestinal microbes in health and immunity

Presented by Chris Garris Did you know that the average human gut is home to over 100 trillion microorganisms? These numbers are not from a diseased state, but rather are representative of a normal, healthy human gut. Clearly, this suggests that the vast majority of microorganisms living within us are not pathogenic. Animal studies of germ-free or selective gut colonization by microbes provide growing evidence … Continue reading In the Loop with Poop: Intestinal microbes in health and immunity

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The bacterial cytoskeleton in the closet: bringing to light the hidden life and secrets of nature’s tiniest skeletons

The bony human skeleton needs little introduction: it holds our shape and allows us to go through our motions and activities. Though the importance of the human skeleton is clear, what may be surprising is that bacteria—tiny organisms visible only with a microscope—also have skeletons. Much as in humans, the bacterial skeleton, or “cytoskeleton,” is essential for holding the shape of a bacteria—whether round, rod-shaped, … Continue reading The bacterial cytoskeleton in the closet: bringing to light the hidden life and secrets of nature’s tiniest skeletons

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Killer viruses lurking in permafrost? Probably not, but here’s what they can teach us…

Should the discovery of an infectious virus in the permafrost worry us? Scientists have uncovered a so-called ‘giant virus’ in permafrost that has melted as a result of progressive climate change. The virus, Pithovirus sibericum, was isolated from melted samples of Siberian permafrost and was able to infect amoebas even after being frozen for thousands of years. Could ancient human pathogens also be uncovered and … Continue reading Killer viruses lurking in permafrost? Probably not, but here’s what they can teach us…

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Bacterial Genes Reveal Course of Infection

Figure 1 ~ Bacteria infecting your body continue to evolve as they reproduce. [Image credit: CDC/ Judith Noble-Wang, Ph.D. http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/details.asp?pid=8669]              Like most of the trillions of bacteria that surround us, growing on doorknobs or floating in the breeze, Burkholderia dolosa poses no risk to healthy people. Yet in the mid-1990’s, an outbreak of B. dolosa killed half of the thirty-nine cystic … Continue reading Bacterial Genes Reveal Course of Infection

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Can computer simulations help design new vaccines?

Vaccines teach your immune system to recognize and destroy certain pathogens. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to get your immune system to recognize and mount attacks against some pathogens, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Researchers recently used computational modeling to design a tiny protein that kind of looks like part of an RSV protein. When they injected it into monkeys, many of the monkeys’ immune … Continue reading Can computer simulations help design new vaccines?

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Yeast: Beer, bread and neurodegeneration

Just a few weeks ago, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists: Dr. Randy Schekman, Dr. Thomas Südhof, and Dr. James Rothman. These three men were rewarded for their work on a curious organism we encounter in our everyday lives. This Nobel Prize-worthy creature is yeast. It might be surprising that studies on an organism we use to ferment beer … Continue reading Yeast: Beer, bread and neurodegeneration

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